Police identify vehicle involved in hit-and-run case in Kerala's Vadakara

Kozhikode (Kerala): After a nearly ten-month-long investigation, the police have finally identified the vehicle involved in a hit-and-run incident in Northern Kerala that claimed the life of an elderly woman from Kannur district and left her nine-year-old grandchild in a state of coma.

Kozhikode Rural SP Nidhinraj P said that the white car involved in the accident had been seized by the police.

"The person who was behind the wheel is currently in the UAE and will be brought back soon," he told reporters here on Friday.

The incident occurred on February 17 along the national highway at Chorode in Vadakara, Kozhikode district.

A speeding car struck 68-year-old Baby and her nine-year-old granddaughter, Drishana, as they were crossing the road around 10 pm.

Baby later succumbed to her injuries, while Drishana, a fifth-standard student, had been in a coma for about ten months, battling for her life at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

Despite the presence of several CCTV cameras in the area, the police were unable to trace the vehicle involved in the accident.

Following a series of public protests and interventions by the Kerala High Court and the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, which criticised the Kozhikode Rural Police for alleged laxity in investigating the February 17 accident, the police intensified their search for the white car involved.

A special investigation team was formed to probe the incident, but the inquiry initially made little progress.

The breakthrough came when police discovered an insurance claim filed by the accused, stating that his car had crashed into a wall, according to police sources.

Investigators also found that the vehicle had been modified after the accident.

As part of the investigation, the police examined 50,000 phone calls and verified 19,000 vehicles.

The police searched over 500 automobile workshops and carried out detailed checks as part of the probe, sources said.

CCTV footage from a 40-kilometer radius was meticulously examined, and the probe was extended to cover Kannur and Kasaragod districts as well, they added.

The accused, a native of Purameri in Kozhikode, has been slapped with charges of culpable homicide. He left for the UAE on March 14, and efforts are underway to bring him back to the country, sources said.

Rural SP Nidhinraj stated that the accident occurred due to the accused's negligence while traveling along the Vadakara-Thalassery route.

Following the incident, the accused fled the scene with the vehicle and made modifications to it in an attempt to evade the police investigation, he added.

Meanwhile, the family is facing a severe financial crisis to provide medical care for their daughter, who remains in a coma, with no insurance claims yet received to cover her medical expenses.

The Rural SP assured that the police would speed up the process to help the family secure insurance coverage at the earliest.

Smitha, the mother of Drishana, said the reports that the police identified the vehicle that caused the accident brought little solace to the family as it may help to get the insurance amount.

"However, there is no improvement in the condition of my daughter and the doctors have said that she requires further treatment and care," she told a news channel.

Smitha, the lone witness in the case, lost her mother in the mishap.

The family requires financial assistance to provide further care for the girl after being discharged from the hospital, she added.

Earlier, the Kerala State Legal Services Authority stepped in with legal support by appointing a lawyer to help the family.